HOW TO LAND A JOB IN INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT Objectives :

HOW TO LAND A JOB IN
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
By Robert David, part-time professor, SIDGS, University of Ottawa
Objectives:
1. Gain work experience and expand your network of contacts here and abroad.
2. Obtain a stable job at a decent salary in your preferred area of interest.
The following are possible ways of building valuable experience and finding work in the field of
international development, including in humanitarian assistance. This document starts with suggestions for
those with little or no prior experience in job searching, such as using the university’s services,
volunteering and doing internships. It then discusses specializing, creating your own job, and finding work
abroad, and provides many internet links containing information on entry-level or more senior positions.
Note that many of the sites in this document include information on more than one option (ex.
volunteering, internships, and career opportunities), so it is recommended to browse through all of them.
The list is not exhaustive; there are other means and organizations (especially smaller ones) that are not
included here. If you know of or discover other possibilities that should be included, please let me know at
rdavid@uOttawa.ca. Good luck!
Use University of Ottawa services
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Career Services for students: http://www.sass.uottawa.ca/careers/tools/jobs.php
(counselling, mentoring, career planning, and documentation on job searching, networking, cover
letters, CVs, job interviews, etc.)
Career services for alumni: http://alumni.uottawa.ca/Page.aspx?pid=1710
International job sites: http://www.sass.uottawa.ca/careers/resources/jobsearch/international.php
Other options: http://www.sass.uottawa.ca/careers/studies/socialscience/intern_studies.php
Ask your professors for ideas, contacts, and reference letters.
Work as a volunteer
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Doing volunteer work here or abroad is one of the best ways of gaining experience, making contacts,
showing your capabilities and motivation, and getting hired on contract work, or in a temporary or
permanent position. Browse local NGO Web sites whose names appear on this page or in one of the
sites listed below.
There are a number of organizations or even companies that organize voluntary internships abroad for
a number of weeks or months. The catch is you have to raise funds or pay for the internship yourself!
Here are a couple of suggestions:
o Cross Cultural Solutions: http://www.crossculturalsolutions.org/
o ProWorld: http://www.proworldvolunteers.org/
Do an internship (also all the sites, agencies and NGOs listed below)
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University of Ottawa - International Internships:
http://www.sciencessociales.uottawa.ca/international/eng/inter_internships.asp
University of Ottawa Co-op Program (one of the best ways to gain experience):
http://www.coop.uottawa.ca/en/en-coop-students/en-section-home-coop-stud.asp
Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA): http://www.acdi-cida.gc.ca/acdi-cida/ACDICIDA.nsf/eng/ANN-91413518-NXH
Campus Access: http://www.campusaccess.com/internships/humanitarian-development.html
Canadian Council for International Cooperation (CCIC) (also see their members’ sites):
http://ccic.ca/resources/internships_e.php
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Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT): http://www.international.gc.ca/jobsemplois/students-etudiants.aspx?lang=eng&view=d
International organizations and forums:
http://www.international.gc.ca/cip-pic/organisations.aspx?lang=eng&view=d
United Nations: http://www.un.org/depts/OHRM/sds/internsh/index.htm
and: http://social.un.org/index/Youth/UNOpportunities/Internships.aspx
Specialize
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Pursue your studies by specializing in a particular field: humanitarian assistance (logistics,
management), project/program management, public administration, international affairs, healthcare,
environmental stewardship, alternative energies, institutional fundraising, accounting, administration,
international law or some other area (preferably in high demand).
Go find work abroad
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You have knowledge and abilities that many organizations look for: international language skills
(English, French, Spanish, etc.); writing (concept papers and project proposals, communications, Web
site content, etc.); research; project management, administration and finance, as well as familiarity
with a certain number of funders (CIDA, NGOs, foundations, etc.), among others. And you can
propose ideas (see “Create your own job” below).
Choose a country/region that interests you, preferably one where there is a lot of international
assistance (ex. Haiti, Bolivia, Brazil, Peru, certain African countries, Bangladesh, West Bank and
Gaza, or perhaps one of the new democracies in the Arab world). Make inquiries with the national and
international organizations working there, and try to find a paid or volunteer position.
Create your own job
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It is sometimes possible to propose to an NGO a project in development education or even a project in
a DC (perhaps with a partner organization you know) and then work without compensation to obtain
one or more financial contributions from different sources. If you get the funds, then the NGO hires
you for the duration of the project to implement the project. All of it under their corporate name,
supervision and approval processes, hopefully working in their office.
Another riskier but perhaps more satisfying proposition is to go it alone. You find your own funding,
alone or with others. Once you’ve secured funding, you can either propose to collaborate with an
NGO or continue on your own, in which case you may need to legally register your group as a charity,
or incorporate, as needed.
Later, when you have gained more experience, you could work as a private consultant and try to
obtain contracts. In this case, it is useful to have a clear skill-set relevant to development (such as
project planning and management, facilitation skills, evaluation skills, or technical skills like water
management, engineering, health provision, business management)
Work as a volunteer-cooperant
(listed below are some of the larger organizations in Canada
and the UN. Other developed countries have similar programs for their nationals, should you have another
citizenship)
 CECI: http://www.ceci.ca/fr/impliquez-vous/cooperation-volontaire/
 CUSO-VSO: http://www.cusointernational.org/
 Oxfam-Québec: http://oxfam.qc.ca/recrutement/cooperation
 SUCO: http://suco.org/suco/engagement/cooperation-volontaire/
 United Nations Volunteers: http://www.unv.org/en.html
 Uniterra (CECI-WUSC): http://www.uniterra.ca/become-an-international-volunteer/become-a-longterm-international-volunteer/
 WUSC: http://wusc.ca/en/program/volunteer-cooperation-haiti
Work for a Canadian NGO (volunteers, internships, jobs)
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AQOCI: http://www.aqoci.qc.ca/spip.php?rubrique94
Members of AQOCI: http://www.aqoci.qc.ca/spip.php?rubrique82
CCIC: http://ccic.ca/resources/jobs_e.php
Members of CCIC: http://ccic.ca/members/index_e.php
CANADEM: http://www.canadem.ca/home/
Charity Village (nonprofits): http://www.charityvillage.com/cvnet/job_search.aspx?tab=browse
Work in the Canadian government, federal agencies or crown corporations
(internships and jobs; best to talk to someone there to find out the possibilities)
 CIDA http://www.acdi-cida.gc.ca/acdi-cida/acdi-cida.nsf/eng/NIC-5492333-HQE
 Dept. of National Defence – civilian jobs (perhaps in emergency aide, liaison with civil societies,
interpretation): http://www.civ.forces.gc.ca/index-eng.asp
 DFAIT: http://www.international.gc.ca/jobs-emplois/careers-carrieres.aspx?lang=eng&view=d
 Elections Canada (democratic development abroad): http://www.elections.ca/home.aspx
 IDRC: http://www.idrc.ca/EN/AboutUs/Careers/Pages/default.aspx
 Public Service of Canada: http://jobs-emplois.gc.ca/index-eng.htm
 RCMP (training of police officers abroad): http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/index-eng.htm
 See also international sections of other govt departments such as Finance, Human Resources,
Environment, etc., to learn of the possibilities since many are all involved in some international work.
Work in a foreign organization (volunteers, internships, jobs; govt or non-govt)
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Aid Workers Network: http://aidworkers.net/?q=advice/first_time_aid_workers
AlertNet: http://www.trust.org/alertnet/jobs/
Australian Development Gateway: http://www.developmentgateway.com.au/cms
BOND (U.K.): http://www.bond.org.uk/jobs.php
Careers United: http://www.careersunited.org/home_jobseeker.asp?Lang=5
DevEx: http://www.devex.com/en/jobs
DevNetJobs: http://icsc.un.org/joblinks.asp
DFID (UK govt aid agency): http://www.dfid.gov.uk/work-with-us/working-for-dfid/jobs/
ELDIS (U.K.): http://www.eldis.org/news/jobs.htm
Europeaid (for European citizens): http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/who/about/jobs/index_en.htm
Global Charity Jobs: http://www.globalcharityjobs.co.uk/s-Jobs_board
Hasesfalta(Spanish): http://www.hacesfalta.org/oportunidades/remuneradas/buscador/
Human Rights Jobs: http://www.humanrightsjobs.com/
IDEALIST (click on Jobs et specify your education, focus, languages, etc.; U.K.): http://www.idealist.org/
IDS - University of Sussex: http://www.sussex.ac.uk/careers/careerchoices/international
Inter Action (U.S.): http://www.monthlydevelopments.org/jobs
International Jobs Center: http://www.internationaljobs.org/hotjobs.html
International organizations and forums:
http://www.international.gc.ca/cip-pic/organisations.aspx?lang=eng&view=d
New Zealand: http://www.dev-zone.org/jobs
OneWorld: http://www.oneworldgroup.org/jobs
Policy Jobs: http://www.policyjobs.net/
Relief Web: http://reliefweb.int/jobs
The Economist magazine: http://jobs.economist.com/
Third Sector Jobs – Intern. Dev. (U.K.): http://jobs.thirdsector.co.uk/jobs/international-development/
UN headquarters: https://jobs.un.org/Galaxy/Release3/Vacancy/vacancy.aspx?lang=1560
UN agencies (UNDP, UNICEF, WB, etc.): http://www.un.org/Depts/OHRM/indexpo.htm
UNjobs (a Swiss association): http://www.unjobs.org/
U.S. Foreign Policy Association: http://www.fpa.org/jobs_contact2423/jobs_contact.htm
World Service Inquiry: http://www.wse.org.uk/ (info); http://www.wse.org.uk/work/job.htm (jobs)
Work for a humanitarian NGO (volunteers, internships, jobs. Some of the larger organizations
are listed below, but there are many small and medium-size organizations working in this area)
 Action contre la faim: http://www.actioncontrelafaim.org/nous-rejoindre/postes-a-pourvoir/
 CARE International: http://www.care-international.org/Employment/
 Caritas Internationalis: http://www.caritas.org/services/jobs_1.html
 ICRC: http://www.icrc.org/eng/who-we-are/jobs/index.jsp
 GOAL: http://www2.recruitingcenter.net/clients/projecthope/publicjobs/controller.cfm
 International Organization for Migration: http://www.iom.int/jahia/Jahia/current-vacancies
 International Rescue Committee: http://www.rescue.org/careers
 Médecins du monde: http://www.medecinsdumonde.org/gb/Act/Recruitment
 MSF-France: http://www.msf.fr/recrutement;
MSF-Canada: http://www.msf.ca/recruitment/jobs-at-msf-canada/
 Muslim Aid: http://www.muslimaid.org/index.php/about-us/jobs
 Oxfam International: https://www.oxfam.org/en/jobs/affiliates
 Project Hope: http://www2.recruitingcenter.net/clients/projecthope/publicjobs/controller.cfm
 World Vision: https://jobs.wvi.org/WebJobs.nsf/webjobshome?openform
Other possibilities
There are many other avenues that you could pursue in development or international affairs. Here
are just a few of them:
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There are many jobs in related fields that have a strong international component, such as the
environment (see ECO Canada http://eco.ca/), human rights (ex. Ligue des droits et libertés, Amnesty
International, Human Rights Watch, OSCE), labour (ex. Canadian Labour Congress
http://www.canadianlabour.ca/international-solidarity/labour-international-development-program and
ILO), universities & colleges (http://www.cbie.ca/english/aboutus/employment.htm), health (ex.
Worldwide AIDS Coalition http://www.worldwideaidscoalition.org/, or on malaria, polio, leprosy,
etc.), journalism (ex. PEN International http://www.pen-international.org/) or in other fields of
endeavor.
 Large and small foundations sometimes support international projects or work exclusively on
international issues (ex. One Drop Fdn, Ford Fdn, Bill & Melinda Gates Fdn, George Soros Fdn, etc.)
 There are literally hundreds of independent or university-linked research centres that study
developmental and international issues where you could assist researchers, do original research or
policy analysis (for internships or jobs), in Canada (SIDGS, The North-South Institute, Canadian
Centre for Policy Alternatives, Canadian Institute of International Affairs, CD Howe Institute,
Conference Board of Canada, Institute for Research on Public Policy, Institut québécois des hautes
études internationales, Munk School of Global Affairs, etc.) or abroad (Council on Foreign Relations,
Institut des relations internationales et stratégiques, International Crisis Group, International Institute
for Strategic Studies, etc.)
 Work for a professor who has obtained a contract to assist a foreign government, organization or
company in development, healthcare, education, women’s issues, management, economics,
agriculture, finance, conflict management, peacebuilding, or in some other field of endeavour.
 Work in the private sector as a consultant (ex. Universalia: http://www.universalia.com/fr/pour-nousjoindre/carriere), or for other companies that bid for CIDA and other government work related to
international development (see MERX at http://www.merx.com/ and type in “CIDA” in “Search” box
for their present call for tenders. You may be able to find out who might be bidding for them and
offer your services early in the process).
Good luck in your job search!